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Why Don't You...

1. Do like Beth and eat kale like salad. Just massage raw kale leaves with salt and olive oil. They keep well in the fridge prepared like this.

2. Add bacon to your chili like Joey does. Yum!

3. Saute mushrooms with chipotle chilies and eat them taco style like me.

4. Pan roast pork chops with green peppers and tomatoes like my mom.

5. Share some other ideas with the rest of us!

T.G.I.F

Hey all! We made it through the week. How awesome is that? How awesome are we?

It was a big week for firsts. First week of the year. First full week of work. First time for many things I'm sure; like getting back on the work out wagon and the eating healthy wagon or whatever wagon you have resolved to sit tight on.

For any takers out there I'd like to offer some advice for staying healthy and enjoying the year ahead. The first thing I would say is don't be a slave to recipes. They are just guidelines. Follow your gut. If you're trying to shed a few pounds and like to eat rich food, don't deprive yourself! Make a big salad and eat a smaller portion of the richer food. I made risotto this week and only used two tablespoons of butter instead of the four the recipe called for and you know what? It was delicious.

I would also say, eat your vegetables when you can. Don't be afraid to serve some left over vegetables at breakfast, especially for brunch. My favorite thing is eggs over easy on top of an arugala salad. You can even throw vegtables into a scramble. Also, like I mentioned in my last few posts, you can add vegetables to pancakes and you can steam them up and eat them like hot cereal.

Lunch is a good time to get to the veggies too. Don't forget that beans are a great substitute for meat in sandwiches. Make a home made spread like hummus or a black bean one with a good kick of flavor. If you'r buying lunch skip the chips and get a side salad instead. You can also incorporate vegetables into your tuna or chicken salad.

Lastly, I would like you to remember that cookbooks are in your home to be used, not admired. Get in there and try something challenging. It's ok if you get a page or two a little dirty. And it's true you might not always succeed at what you're making, but I bet even then, you'll have a good story to tell. My point is have fun, get your hands dirty and don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

So that's it for my two cents. Enjoy the weekend. I leave you with the ever-wonderful David Bazan.

In Chicken News Today

Picture source: Wikipedia

I have never made chicken piccata, but Katie has and she gave me some tips I'd like to share with you. Wikipedia tells me that piccata is an Italian technique whereby you prepare a meat by slicing it, sauteing it and then serving it with a sauce that is made with lemon, butter and spices, which usually means parsley.

These are the steps that Katie took to make her version:

Step 1:

She mixed her dry ingredients. I bet seasoned bread crumbs would work well here.

Then she prepared the chicken cutlets by spraying them with an oil spray and she covered them with the dry mixture.

Step 2:

She sauteed the cutlets. Here is a tip I attribute to Michael Symon and was confirmed last night in a cooking class: don't waste your olive oil on cooking. Use a blended oil (a mixture of cheap olive oil and a neutral oil) or just use a neutral oil. Leave the good stuff for finishing a plate.

When the cutlets were almost ready, Katie squeezed lemon juice over them. Yum! That sounds good.

Step 3:

This is when it gets intense. Are you ready? When the cutlets were cooked, Katie set them aside. She added ten lemon slices, chicken stock and more lemon juice to a separate pot to make her sauce. When the sauce had reduced she dressed her chicken with it. Tada! Chicken Piccata!!

This sounds great. I want to make this soon, along with the recipe I picked up from my cooking class on how to roast a chicken perfectly. Here is the trick: you don't need butter. All you need is a little kosher salt and time. Salt your chicken for a few hours, then take it out and let it get to room temperature and then pop it in the oven at 450 F. You can stuff it with a lemon if you want, but you don't need to add aromatics until the last five minutes or so. Try these tips and be amazed.